Online gambling is the pastime du jour; with a mix of poker, bingo and horse racing among many other options, there is a chance to join online communities and take part in pastimes that were once only available in halls, betting shops and casinos. This phenomenon seems to attract people that are more interested in socialising than gambling away life savings, could it be that gambling on line is the new going out?

Friday nights in the centre of town have changed dramatically over the last few years. Since the smoking ban and rise in drinks prices, more people than ever are staying in and catching up with friends online through social networking forums such as Facebook. These people are also forming new friendships and accessing new ways of socialising that don't involve going down the pub, and invariably creating fodder for the Facebook masses through a catalogue of embarrassing photos; something that has become the reality of young people all over the country.

One of the big new trends in the social lives of younger females could actually start to buck the trend for binge drinking and losing stilettos on the high street. That trend is online bingo. Once the domain of grandmothers wielding carpet bags and blue rinse perms, bingo has become popular once again with women in the UK. The forums behind the sites reveal a healthy social network of mums and single women who like to stay in, chat with friends on line and partake in a game of bingo while they are at it.

We often hear horror stories of how online gambling can encourage people to spend what they haven't got, but compared to going out on a Friday night, the money these women spend is not much different, and the experience is a whole heap more wholesome too. After a night chatting with other online bingo lovers, these women aren't waking up to pictures plastered online of them being plastered; or wondering where all their money went, why their Gucci handbag is covered in vomit and where their new high heels have gone.

The high street may be fighting to fend off the effects of online shopping, smoking bans, and alcohol price hikes, but socialising online is becoming a preferred option for many people in Britain. From school leavers to family groups, being able to form friendships and interact whilst keeping away from the hassles of the high street is a preferable way to spend a weekend; and the price of a game of online bingo is a small one compared to the repercussions of a night drinking the wages away.

Dom Donaldson is a social expert.
Find out more about Online Bingo and how you can have a great night in with other people online at UK Bingo.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Online. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.